Your Worst Nightmare
by Squeeb100
Summary: It's a Halloween fic, a day late, dang it! A few weeks after defeating the Kishin, the gang goes to DWMA's annual Halloween party. But everything does not turn out as expected when a new witch, looking for revenge, shows up to crash the party. K-plus for mild swearing.


**OH. MY. GOSH. That took forever. And I have failed! I am a day late! Enjoy please, and please give me feedback!**

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><p>"Symmetry...symmetry..." Death the Kid muttered as he dragged his knife through the thick skin. "Symmetry, symmetry – it must be perfect!"<p>

"Heya, Kid, whatcha' doin'?" Patty swung down over the reaper's shoulder, causing her partner's hand to slip and slide awkwardly to the side. Kid paused for a moment, as if in shock, before his head snapped around to glare at the girl.

"Damn it, Patty!" the boy stormed, tossing his ruined gourd into a rapidly growing pile as he continued his rant.

Maka sighed. "Blair! We need another pumpkin over here. Kid messed up again."

"And another thing, Patty -" Kid paused. "Maka! I did _not_ 'mess up!' It was Patty's fault! You people just don't appreciate the beauty of symmetry," he sighed. "All of you, content to create that asymmetrical garbage!"

Black*Star snorted. "You don't need symmetry to be awesome, Kid! See?" he lifted his own pumpkin into the air to display to everyone as an example. There was a moment of silence until Soul spoke up, confused.

"Uh...what is it?"

"Me, duh."

All holidays are widely appreciated at the DWMA, but Halloween holds a special place in the hearts of students and staff alike, especially as it is the personal favorite of the school's founder, Lord Death. Once a year on October 31st, the academy is lit with pumpkins in every nook and cranny, the handiwork of each student and teacher filling the windows, lining the stairs, and forming a halo of light around the school for all to see. A banquet is held Halloween night, and every room is decked out with black and orange in the spirit of the holiday. Some teachers even give out candy on Halloween day.

In this way it came to be that nine friends (ten, if anyone truly appreciated Ragnarok) were gathered on the afternoon prior to the festival, carving pumpkins in preparation. Well, seven of them were carving, regarding the fact that Liz was painting her nails, Blair was only conjuring the excess pumpkins that Kid required, and Ragnarok seemed thoroughly content to simply stab Crona's pumpkin every few minutes.

"That's lovely, Black*Star," Tsubaki assured her partner, although she seemed more than slightly confused herself.

"You bet it is!" Black*Star grinned before returning to work.

"I'm still confused," Soul griped quietly.

Looking as if a sudden thought had occurred to him, Kid immediately stopped sulking and turned to his friends. "You guys are going to the banquet tonight, right?" he asked.

"Soul, Crona and I were planning to," Maka said, nodding.

"I'd never miss out on being the star," Black*Star said reproachfully. "You guys know that I wouldn't miss the chance to tell the heroic story of my fight with Asura to all who want to hear it!"

Tsubaki nodded in complete agreement. "We know."

* * *

><p>As was the norm, the dance hall was packed that evening, and still more students were pouring in. Some were in costume, some dressed in formal attire, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely (Black*Star in particular, as he gorged himself on food and sweets and recounted the tale of his glorious battle). Even Crona was making an attempt to be social, quietly answering questions or shaking hands tentatively with strangers, to everyone's surprise. In fact, he had put on a brave face for the evening, and only cringed slightly whenever someone particularly loud entered the room.<p>

Liz and Patty stuck loyally by Kid's side as he, Soul and Maka chattered with other students. They had drawn quite a crowd to themselves as they were asked over and over again to tell the tale of the Kishin. It was the hot topic of the party, as the event in question had been too recent to have blown over yet.

Suddenly, the microphone screeched as it was tested, leaving the entire student body cowering and silent, staring wide-eyed at the teacher on stage.

"Oh..." Professor Stein tapped the microphone again experimentally, looking mildly disappointed when all it did was click. "Excuse the sound, children. Just setting a creepy mood for the evening." A ripple of laughter made its way through the crowd that had begun to form. The Professor stepped quickly out of the way to allow Lord Death to take his place for a speech that everyone hoped would be slightly more climactic than those in the past had been.

A cheer rose in the crowd as the school's founder stepped up to the microphone, waving. "Hey! Hiya! How's it going? How are you doing?" the masked shinigami waved and flashed peace signs at his audience. When the cheers, claps, and giggles had died down to a dull roar, Lord Death began to speak.

"Welcome to our annual Halloween banquet! I'm so glad that we were able to hold it this year, in spite of recent events. As you all know, our battle with the Kishin was immensely difficult, and required a lot of guts, sweat and blood from all of you, our students and faculty. Not only did we battle the Kishin Ashura, but many of us took part in the battles with Arachne and Arachnaphobia, and the witch Medusa as well."

A cheer rose in the crowd, as well as chants of several student's names.

"But I won't hold you here any longer. There is food to be eaten, and dances to be danced! So without further ado-" Lord Death stopped mid sentence as the ground shook. Students murmured anxiously to each other. "Well, that can't be good," Death said. Shortly the shaking became a rumbling, which in turn morphed into pounding. People glanced around the room until their eyes fell on the door, which burst open.

Maka gasped.

"What is it?" Soul inquired anxiously, grabbing Maka's hand.

"Souls...hundreds of them. Kishin souls..." Maka gasped. "And a witch..."

"Who? Medusa? Arachne?"

"No...she's new. She feels similar to witches we've met in the past, but she has her own wavelength."

Soul's eyes darted to the door; in it stood a figure in black, with orange tattoos winding up her arms and over her exposed belly. Her hair, a fiery red, was piled messily into a bun held on the side of her head with a winding vine. She scanned the crowd, arms crossed, with eyes the green of foliage in the middle of summer. At her side stood a monster with a spidery body and a frail neck, topped, almost comically, with a pumpkin.

Kid gasped. "That's Black*Star's pumpkin...I think!" He told his partners. "But it has a soul now. A familiar one."

Lord Death, quick to recover from the shock, leaned toward the microphone again. "Heya," he greeted the newcomer, this time with a guarded tone. "What brings you here?"

The witch snapped her gaze up to meet the shinigami's, green eyes flashing. She strode toward the stage, the crowd parting hastily to let her through. Crona shuddered as she passed, startled by the similarities between this woman's soul and his mother's.

Only when the witch was at eye level with Lord Death did she finally speak. "I am the witch Demeter. I believe that you are the one who slaughtered my sister, the witch Medusa?"

"As a matter of fact, no," Lord Death replied carefully. "That was one of my meisters."

At this Demeter turned. Now that she was at close range, her tattoos were clearly of vines, winding up her arms and torso and branching out into red, orange, and yellow leaves.

"I was expecting this, of course," she said. "Who among you had the gall to murder my dear sister, Lady Medusa? I dealt accordingly with what remained or Arachne's killer, but now I have tracked down Medusa's murderer _alive._" her voice was brimming with pride. "Now all I have to do is find you, dear, and then I will obliterate you."

Maka fidgeted. Soul tightened his grip on her hand. _I'm here when you need to fight,_ the gesture implied. _Just give the word._

"No volunteers? Pity. Not that I expected you to turn yourself over willingly, of course." Demeter snapped her fingers, bringing a flood of spidery pumpkins into the dance hall and to her aid. They formed around her, their apparent master, and chatter arose from the students.

"Hey, that's my pumpkin!"

"Didn't Stein carve that one? It's pretty recognizable."

"That one's mine!"

Demeter only smiled knowingly. Kid stiffened.

"It's her," Maka said, echoing Kid's suspicions. "She's given our pumpkins souls somehow. Really resourceful, if you need a large army."

With a cackle fitting of a true witch, Demeter snapped her fingers again and her creations disbanded into the crowd.

"Now, Soul!" Maka cried, and her friend quickly transformed into a scythe. She rushed to meet the enemy, Black*Star, Kid, and Crona flanking her, each with their weapon in hand. Other students joined them, forming a wall that was prepared to bring down an army. As soon as they reached their ememies, however, a pulse ran through the crowd and the entire student body collapsed, thuds and clatters filling the room as meisters and weapons hit the floor.

"What did you do, witch?" Death Scythe snarled, worry for his daughter flashing in his eyes.

"Oh, don't fret. They're asleep. This is how I will uncover my dear sister's killer." Demeter smirked. "But on second thought, I'll put you teachers to sleep as well. I wouldn't want you interfering too much." She snapped her fingers again.

* * *

><p>Maka felt her legs tighten and then go to rubber; she was lightheaded and suddenly exhausted, and she willingly fell to the floor and let sleep wash over her.<p>

When her eyes fluttered open again, Maka was in an empty space. The area was tinged red, with darkness seeping from what appeared to be the farthest reaches of whatever place she had found herself in.

Stunned, she breathed deeply and gathered her wits. Then she picked herself up from the ground. "Soul?" she asked hesitantly, feeling alone and vulnerable in the spacious room. What was this? Where was she? "Soul, where are you?"

"I'm over here, _Maka_."

Relief swelled in Maka's chest as she turned to see her partner. She felt her expression of glee quickly fade into one of confusion, however, as she took in Soul's scowl and annoyed stance. And the way he had said her name...

Maka's partner quickly approached her, slowly raising one hand. When he finally halted in front of her, glaring, his hand raised threateningly, a tremor of fearful anticipation ran through her. There was a pause before Soul brought his hand down across Maka's face. The meister felt blood trickle from her cheek as she looked at her partner in astonishment. The smacking sound from his strike still echoed around the room.

Maka brought her hand to her cheek. "Soul," she said softly. "Why?"

Soul looked at Maka, a head taller than her now that she was frozen in recoil. "It was payback," he growled uncharacteristically, flashing her a toothy grin. "For all the pain you've caused me."

"Pain..." Maka straightened to look her partner in the eye. "Soul. What is this?"

"Do you know," Soul asked roughly, a stormy expression quickly masking his smirk, "How many times I've saved you? How many times I've put myself in harm's way for you?"

Suddenly his body was a mosaic of bruises and scratches, and blood began to soak through his shirt as if his old chest wound had reopened.

Soul grinned again, fueled by Maka's surprise and pain. Her heart twisted in her chest. What was Soul doing? Why the sudden personality change?

"And I'm not the only one," Soul said. Maka's breath caught in her throat. What was going on?

"Maka."

Slowly, Maka turned. "Crona."

Crona, in contrast with Soul's fluctuation of rage and amusement, looked sad and confused in a way that made Maka's heart constrict further. A pool of black blood was gathering at his feet, running from his chest.

Like Soul, Crona began to approach Maka. Ragnarok appeared in his hand. "Maka," he said sadly, "I've put myself in harm's way for you twice, now. I nearly died once. And you've done nothing for me, nothing to repay me."

"That isn't true!" Maka, on the verge of frustrated tears, heard her voice crack. "I saved you! I helped you!"

Crona halted in front of her, opposite Soul. "No. I had already decided to disappear. You only prolonged my suffering."

"Listen to him, Maka," Soul said angrily. His arm transformed into a scythe. "Listen, or you could be _hurt!_" The weapon placed emphasis on the final word as he and Crona both lunged for Maka simultaneously. She dodged their blades, and her last vision was of Soul and Crona sinking to the ground, their weapons sunk deeply into each other's chests.

* * *

><p>Dazed and confused, Soul painstakingly transformed back into his human form. Panic fluttered in his chest when he registered that his partner wasn't moving. Why had she suddenly dropped him like that? Not only her – it seemed that all of the meisters in the room had collapsed, leaving their weapons to fret over them. The staff had all fallen still on the floor, and even Demeter's pumpkin soldiers had frozen. The witch herself had erected a protective force field around her body.<p>

"Maka!" Soul nudged his partner's shoulder. "Maka, what are you doing? What did she do?"

"It's okay, Soul," Tsubaki reassured him softly. "They're only asleep." She indicated her own partner, who was twitching slightly on the ground.

"Yeah, they're dreaming!" Patty cried, as if it was the most exciting thing in the world.

There was an agitated moan, and the group's attention was directed to Crona and Ragnarok. The former, obviously, was out cold, the latter attempting to punch him back into wakefulness.

"Augh! Wake up, you dingus! Without you I can't move! It's no fun!" The weapon was whining. "Crona, you damn _idiot! _Wake up!"

"Chill, Ragnarok," Liz said, her tone dripping with distaste. "We have more important things to focus on, such as getting this witch and her freaky monsters _out _of our_school!_"

"Liz is right," Soul agreed, turning to Demeter. "We've gotta kick her butt before we can get back to the festivities. Then hopefully our meisters will wake up, too."

"But without our meisters-" Tsubaki objected, only to be cut off.

"We beat the frikin' _Kishin _with our meisters," Soul said. "This small fry, we can take her alone."

* * *

><p>Kid was in a small, square room. "How the heck did I end up in here?" he wondered aloud. The thought was quickly pushed to the back of his mind as the meister took note of his surroundings – rubbish. Trash. Garbage. Asymmetrical garbage, all around him. Picture frames were crooked, candles were burning at differing rates, corners of rugs were folded up, litter was piled in the corners, and everything was aligned distastefully, without any order at all.<p>

"Scum." Kid picked himself up and automatically straightened a picture frame. "Asymmetrical garbage." He disposed of the candles and the litter that had been strewn around the room. "Whoever owns this room is despicable."

With those words, Kid turned to admire his handiwork, only to feel his jaw drop. Everything in the room had returned to its original, disorderly position. Hastily, Death the Kid scrambled to fix the room, but once again, it returned to its original state.

Kid collapsed to the floor, sobbing. "Trash! Scum! I'm a despicable human being!" he cried.

"Indeed you are."

Kid stopped mid-sentence to sit up and stare around curiously, wiping his eyes. "Dad?" he was sure that the voice he had heard was his father's. "Dad, is that you?"

"Indeed it is." The voice originated from one of the crooked frames, which was now occupied with Lord Death's image.

"What are you doing here? And what did you _say?_" Kid inquired, an edge growing on his voice as he finished.

"I said, 'Indeed you are.' I agreed that you are a despicable human being who doesn't deserve to live."

Kid hesitated, disturbed. "Why would you say that?" he asked, getting to his feet and approaching the painting of his father.

"Because it's true," Lord Death's voice replied. "You are nothing but scum. Filthy reaper scum that can't even straighten up a measly room, much less take my place one day. You're worthless. Pathetic. Lower than low. Hardly even worthy of carrying my name." Each word cut deeper into Kid, the final sentence causing him to physically stumble backward.

"You're far too obsessive and easily distracted," the voice continued. "Did you ever know the real reason I never told you my secrets? It's because you weren't worthy. You still aren't. And you never will be."

"You're wrong!" Kid yelled at the painting, balling his fists. "I _am_ worthy! You _do_ trust me!"

"Really? Am I truly wrong? In that case, you've been lying to yourself your entire life."

With that final dig, the image and the voice vanished, leaving Kid alone in the room.

* * *

><p>Black*Star was in a stadium. It was a glorious stadium, made far more glorious by the fact that he was in the center, with all eyes on him. He'd just won a fight, his hundredth fight in a row without defeat, and the crowd was cheering, crying out their praises to the man who had surpassed God.<p>

All of his friends were in the crowd, and Tsubaki stood proudly at his side, squeezing his hand, her heart overflowing with pride and joy for her partner.

A chant of Black*Star's name arose in the crowd. It was unclear who had initiated it, but it resounded through the stands until Black*Star was the object of a standing ovation. His glory was short lived, however, as he felt the air take on a darker tone.

"Hey, Tsubaki? Do you feel anything?" He asked his weapon uncertainly.

"Not at all, Black*Star!" the girl replied cheerfully. "Only the weight of your own ego, blinding you and crushing me bit by bit. But that's always there."

"Creepy..." Black*Star muttered, wincing suddenly as Tsubaki gripped his hand tighter and tighter, constricting and squeezing until his vision of grandeur shattered like ice and the cheers morphed into booing.

"What?" Black*Star looked about nervously. "I...I...I've always..." he broke off as the audience began to cheer again, this time in a darker, more sinister way. The meister whipped around to see that his opponent had risen to his feet. The other fighter, a tall, dark man, gripped Black*Star's throat with a massive hand and lifted him from the ground. The audience cheered for the tall man and booed Black*Star.

"You've always _what?_" the man inquired drily. His voice was deep and gravelly. "Always _lied _to yourself? _Pretended_ to be a star, someone to look up to, when you truly know how small you are? How insignificant?" With each word the man gave Black*Star a little shake. "You're _pathetic._" The man flung Black*Star across the stadium, where he stayed on the ground, fists clenching and unclenching in frustration and helplessness.

"No," he began softly. "No! I've always _been_ the best because I tried my hardest!"

The booing of the audience grew louder, drowning out Black*Star's protests.

"Looks like the public has spoken, little maggot," Black*Star's opponent growled, placing a heavy boot on the boy's head.

"Tsubaki..." Black*Star pleaded to his partner, but she only shrugged and looked away.

_Yes, _a voice whispered in Black*Star's head. _Yes. Stay there, on the ground._

_That's where you belong._

* * *

><p>"Demeter!" Soul bellowed, his arm transforming into a scythe. "Come down here! Stop hiding like a coward!"<p>

Fanning around him were Tsubaki, Liz, and Patty, the latter having shifted into a gun that Liz held, pointing the barrel straight at the witch.

Demeter smirked. "I think I'll stay right here," she chided. "Little children like you aren't worth my time."

"Your recent actions would prove otherwise," Soul retorted.

"What have you done to our meisters?" Liz demanded.

"What are these monsters?" Tsubaki added.

"These? These are my greatest creation," Demeter grinned, gesturing broadly at her pumpkin army. "I made them with the help of my daughter, Persephone. She specializes in the souls of the damned."

"So you _have_ used human souls," Soul deduced, frowning.

"Oh, no," Demeter cakled. "I would _never!_ I told you that I took revenge on what was left of Arachne's killer, didn't I? And you _do_ know who killed her, don't you?"

"Who..." Tsubaki whispered in confusion.

Demeter smiled, looking like a canary digesting a cat. "Asura."

"You mean-" Soul began, breaking off to process the new information a second time.

"Yes," Demeter smiled. "This army is fueled by the souls that the Kishin ate in his lifetime – which means that they are his souls, now. His madness is still present in trace amounts. With my own power and that madness, I have sent your meisters into a deep sleep. I am currently showing each of them their deepest fear, what they truly dread in the depths of their hearts."

"What do you hope to gain from this?"

"I already told you. You really are a slow one, aren't you?" Demeter said with a chuckle. "I want to find my sister's killer."

"And how do you guarantee that you'll succeed?" Soul demanded. "How are you sure that this will tell you anything?"

Demeter's smile became a superior grin. "Once you kill someone," she softly reassured him, "you'll never be the same again."

* * *

><p>Crona was alone in a room full of mirrors. A strange place to be, perhaps, but it was made incredibly disconcerting by the fact that no matter where he looked or how he hid, he was constantly being watched – by himself.<p>

The feeling of aloneness was astonishing and terrifying. I had been so long since he'd been alone. Even before he met Maka, Crona had always been accompanied by Ragnarok. Alone in the middle of the room, head down and knees to his chest, Crona felt terribly exposed.

He didn't know how long he sat there, hiding from the silence, but it seemed like years before he felt it: a touch on his shoulder, as gentle as a breath of air and so soft that it was barely noticeable, but its familiarity made him jump all the same. "Lady Medusa..."

"I've missed you, Crona," a crooning voice came from behind him. He turned slowly to see his mother there, crouching with one hand extended as if trying to tame a wild animal. "My child."

Medusa moved toward Crona, who couldn't bring himself to move, and embraced him. It was the same stiff, false embrace he'd always received; he knew that Medusa had never regarded him as anything more human than a weapon.

"My son," Medusa murmured. "It feels like so long...so long since that brat separated us..."

"Maka isn't a brat," Crona replied quietly. "She's been nicer to me than you ever were."

Medusa pulled away suddenly, forced hurt written all over her face. "Now, that isn't true!" she protested. "I've always loved you. I'm not a bad mother." She stood up suddenly and strode away, disappearing into one of the mirrors. Suddenly every mirror was occupied by her image.

"The fact is, Crona, I've always been good to you. The truth is that you are simply a terrible person." her image's expression morphed into a smirk.

"I'm not!" Crona cried in protest, suddenly finding himself on his feet. "I'm not. And I don't know how to deal with that accusation."

"Yes, you are. I only ever punished you because you refused to complete whatever simple task I assigned you. I only wanted you to learn! But you can't be taught; you betray every one who loved you – me, that girl...you betrayed the school and then ran off to kill me for their benefit! You'll never change. You will always be what I made you."

"N...no! I-I really have changed!" Crona insisted, a worried tone creeping into his voice as he tried to convince even himself. "I'm not scared of you anymore! I won't do what you say! I won't believe you! I saved Maka's life!"

"Did you?" Medusa asked slyly. "Did you really? Or did you throw your life away, making a fool of yourself? She could have moved, and she would have, but you tried to be a hero. All you really succeeded in doing was making your only friend cry – she was the only person who ever stood up for you, and she saved you, only for you to betray her and break her heart. Then you betrayed me yet again. How many times will you deny me? You'll always be like me, for I made you what you are. Blood follows blood, my child." Medusa said, suddenly reappearing to embrace her son. "You will always be mine. My death can never change that."

Crona, suddenly lightheaded, collapsed into the woman's arms. "No...I..." his speech trailed off as his dream ended and the room faded into darkness.

* * *

><p>Maka was jolted awake by a cry of triumph. She quickly looked up to see Demeter in the crowd, standing over a student who Maka couldn't see from her current position on the floor.<p>

"I've found him!" the witch was saying jubilantly as she lifted the student from the ground. "This is the one who killed my sister. How ironic that it should have been her own child!"

"Crona!" Maka screamed, jumping to her feet. She realized that she had been sleeping – other meisters were currently waking up, and the teachers were yawning and staggering to their feet.

"Maka!" Soul looked startled to find that his master was no longer entrapped in sleep. He quickly transformed into a weapon. "It's a good thing you woke up. This witch is loony."

Demeter's head snapped toward Maka, her cold emerald gaze raking over the girl. "Ah...you're this one's little friend, aren't you? I saw him in your dream, and I suspect that you are the one that was mentioned in his."

Maka cringed; the memory of the dream was recent enough that its mention brought feelings of frustration and confusion flooding back into her. "What are you doing to my friend?" she demanded of the witch.

Demeter chuckled, a cold, harsh laugh like the biting autumn wind. "What I said I would do. Of course, you weren't privy to my entire speech, were you? I watched your dreams, meister Maka." The girl flinched, startled at hearing her own name from the witch's mouth. "I watched every meister's, to find out who killed my sister. And this is the one who did it." the witch jerked Crona to his feet by the collar of his robe.

"What?" Maka asked, her voice low with anger. "You aren't making sense, _witch_."

"Maka," Crona said softly. "It's okay. It will be hard for her to kill me, at least. Please don't risk your life for me again. You've already done it too many times. I'm not worth that much trouble."

Maka gasped softly, and she realized that every meister must have had a dream like her own. Hers had played off of her guilt and fear, and by the way Crona was talking, his had, too.

"Maka, she used the Kishin's soul," Soul explained quickly. "She used it to give these monsters life. As soon as you touched them, what was left of the Kishin's madness was activated and flooded into you; Demeter put you under a sleep spell at the same time and looked in on your dreams, which were visions of what each of you fear and dread the most."

"Yes," Tsubaki, who was nearby and helping Black*Star to his feet, concurred. "And it skipped over the weapons because we weren't human at the time of contact."

Liz glared at the witch. "She told us everything. Isn't that right, _witch?_"

"Perfect. A-plus for all of you – what smart students! The academy seems to be doing something right, at least," Demeter cackled. "Your dreams were quite interesting to tap into. Some of them made me laugh out loud, and some almost made me tear up." She feigned a depressed attitude.

Maka snarled, preparing to launch herself at the witch. "That's...that's unethical! And there's too much room for error in the way you executed your plan."

"Hm." Demeter glanced at Crona, who whimpered in spite of himself. "Seems like it worked to me."

"You're wrong," Maka growled.

"And you're a jerk," added Black*Star, who was now on his feet behind Maka, Tsubaki at the ready in weapon form.

"An idiot, too," Kid said, standing next to Black*Star, wielding Liz and Patty. "Did you really think we'd be fazed by an elementary spell like that? I'm my father's son. I can see through your charms. You're really just a beginner, which I'm afraid will make what I'm about to do far too easy."

Demeter cocked her head. "I'm wrong? My spell is weak? And what's your reasoning?" she chuckled.

Maka smirked. "My reasoning is that _I _killed Medusa, not Crona." Without giving the witch a chance to react, Maka advanced at a run. "Group resonance," she called to Kid and Black*Star. "We'll have to start it at a run."

"Affirmative," Kid nodded, leaping into a sprint after Maka.

"Got it," Black*Star grinned, following suit.

Maka waited for the familiar feeling as her team's souls connected, then fell back. Kid and Black*Star ran ahead, immediately comprehending their leader's plan.

Maka saw Demeter panic for a moment, then regain her calm and snap her fingers. Her pumpkin army sprung into action, but thankfully the other meisters and weapons, including the staff and Lord Death, had completely reawakened and were prepared to fight. One by one, the pumpkin warriors were chopped up.

As Maka prepared her finishing move, Kid and Black*Star readied themselves to break down Demeter's force field magic.

"Tsubaki! Demon Sword Mode!" Black*Star commanded his partner. "Let's take her down."

"Right," Tsubaki confirmed as she transformed.

"You brats just don't know when to stop," Demeter growled in annoyance as Black*Star slashed at her magical barrier. She let go of Crona for long enough that he could escape.

"Heh!" Black*Star laughed. "I'm the great assassin Black*Star, the best there is! I'll never quit, even when I'm beaten! That's who I am! I'll never give up, and I don't care what your stupid dreams tell me!"

Crona fell back to stand with Maka. "What should I do?" he asked, desperate to be helpful.

"Wait for Black*Star and Kid to destroy her barrier," Maka replied. "Then create an opening for me and I'll use Genie Hunter to finish her off."

"Okay." Crona veered to the side, positioning himself for the attack.

Kid planted his feet firmly on the ground. Demeter, easily distracted, was directing all of her attention to Black*Star, allowing Kid plenty of time to prepare.

"Death Cannon," he told his partners.

"Okey Doke!" Patty cried out.

"Perfect," Liz agreed as she and her sister began their transformation.

"Resonance rate...2000%!" Liz said in astonishment. "Same as when we fought the Kishin! Your move has advanced, Kid!"

"Noise at 0%," Patty said with excitement.

"Feedback complete! Ready anytime!"

"Fire!"

Not only did the impact of Kid's attack completely eradicate Demeter's force field, but it sent her off balance and right at Black*Star, who continued to slash at her with lightning speed.

"Crona! It's our turn!" Ragnarok screeched at his partner.

"Right!" Crona's eyes narrowed in determination. "I won't be a burden," he muttered, then raised his voice to announce his move. "Screech Alpha!"

A shrill sound pierced the air as Crona's attack barreled over the dance floor. Black*Star dodged it just as it hit Demeter, momentarily stunning her.

"Damn you meddling children," Demeter screeched. "This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"I know," Maka smiled, surprising the witch as she appeared behind her. "Genie Hunter!"

With the finishing move, Demeter disappeared, her warriors disintegrating in her wake. After a few moments of stunned silence, a cheer erupted in the dance hall.

* * *

><p>Soul stood up, yawning and stretching, and running his hand down Blair the cat's back as he left the couch on his way to bed. "Wow, I'm pooped," he announced. Blair, having been unceremoniously dumped from Soul's lap, jumped up next to Crona, who stroked her absentmindedly. Maka was sitting with a book on her lap, but she'd been on the same page for over twenty minutes.<p>

"Uh...I'm going to bed now..." Soul informed them, wondering, not for the first time, what they'd seen in their dreams. "Are you guys going to be okay, or are you goanna zombify overnight? Cause I'm not saying it wouldn't be cool, but we have enough zombies already in our school."

When this elicited no response, Soul walked over to Maka and gently shoved her. "Hey. Maka. Cut it out, you're starting to scare me."

"Hey, Soul?" Maka asked, looking him in the eyes.

"Huh?"

"Am I a burden to you? Are you ever upset with me?"

Soul snorted. "Well...you hit me in the head with books, you physically torment me whenever Blair tries to seduce me, you're in your room half the time...but isn't it normal to be annoyed by your partner?"

Maka frowned. "That isn't what I mean. I mean, do you ever regret having saved my life? Or you, Crona?"

Crona finally broke out of his trance to answer. "No! You saved me from myself, Maka. I'm grateful to you every day. I just feel bad that I couldn't do more for you."

"You saved my life, Crona...that's why _I_ feel bad."

Soul burst out laughing, and both meisters turned to look at him in bewilderment. "Looks like Demeter caused a lot more trouble than I thought," he cried. "Why don't you idiots just call it even? Friends make sacrifices for each other, and that's what makes them friends."

"I guess," Crona agreed hesitantly.

"And Maka," Soul added, "You worry about me incessantly whenever I'm hurt, and you saved me from the Kishin. You're the coolest meister ever, and you're my best friend. I've protected you all those times because I know that you would never hesitate to do the same for me."

"Oh."

Soul chuckled. "I'm going to bed, you dorks," he said. "Don't stay up all night. And happy Halloween."

* * *

><p><strong>Good lord. I had to do that in six days, writing it by hand, typing, editing (really quickly), and doing school.<strong> **I'm so mad I didn't get to post in on Halloween.**

**Thanks to Ucshi for the idea of using Demeter (for giving me a character from Greek Mythology when I needed one!), and for forcing me to finish this [sort of] on time.**

**A note on Crona: Being my favorite character, it is possible that I gave him a bit too much of a spotlight here, which I apologize for. I also, as you can see, consider Crona as being SLIGHTLY more of a guy than he is a girl, but that's personal opinion.**

**Thanks, and review, please!**

**-Squeeb**


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